Colleagues of the abducted Editor of FirstNews, Mr. Segun Olatunji, shared details on Thursday about his abduction from his Lagos residence, where he was taken away and reportedly tortured by the military due to a story he published regarding the Defence Chief.
Olatunji, a former Kaduna State correspondent for NewsNow, was taken by individuals dressed in military attire from his home in the Iyana Odo, Abule Egba area of Lagos State.
Prior to this incident, military authorities caved to pressure on Thursday and released Olatunji, who had been abducted from his home on Friday, March 15, 2024.
He was handed over to certain media figures, including Yomi Odunuga from The Nation newspaper and Iyobosa Uwugiaren from Thisday Newspaper in Abuja on Thursday following consistent media pressure.
Prior to his release, the International Press Institute, the Nigerian Guild of Editors, and Olatunji’s employers had issued separate statements condemning his detention and urging authorities to either release him or bring formal charges.
However, Olatunji’s associates, under the umbrellas of the International Press Institute, the Nigerian Guild of Editors, and the Nigeria Union of Journalists, linked his abduction to an article published by FirstNews titled, “Revealed: Defence Chief running office like family business – Public Interest Lawyers.”
During a press conference at the NUJ FCT Council secretariat in Utako, Abuja, the Secretary of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Iyobosa Uwugiaren, stated that despite extensive efforts to ascertain Olatunji’s whereabouts and several inquiries, the military had consistently denied holding the journalist in custody.
He mentioned, “However, on Monday, IPI Nigeria confirmed (beyond doubt) that the journalist was being detained and subjected to torture by the Defence Intelligence Agency in Abuja. The IPI then notified the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, and the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major General Emmanuel Undiandeye, of its findings, urging them to promptly release our colleague.”
“We also shared this information with high-ranking government officials who reached out to Generals Musa and Undiandeye. Nonetheless, they insisted that the journalist was not in their custody. Meanwhile, our sources were alerting us to act swiftly to rescue our colleague from potential harm.”
“This ultimately led to IPI Nigeria’s Wednesday press statement, directly accusing the DIA of abducting and detaining Mr. Olatunji. Once this statement circulated in the media, the implicated officers grew anxious. They became further flustered upon learning that the NGE, the NUJ, and the IPI had scheduled a subsequent press conference for the following morning. Realizing their deception was uncovered, they confessed to their misdeeds last night to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, acknowledging that our colleague was indeed in their custody and undertaking to release him immediately.”
“At this juncture, we commend the Minister of Information and other government officials for their pivotal roles in resolving this issue. These defiant and anti-media officers, who evidently show no regard for civilian authorities, misled and defied officials of the Federal Government who intervened.”
“We are certain that numerous well-meaning individuals in society, including the global community, are both astonished and appalled by the lawlessness and intimidation tactics of the DIA – an agency under the command of Major General Undiandeye, who directly reports to the Chief of Defence Staff, General Musa.”
“The actions of the DIA prompt us to question their true intent. It is our suspicion that they schemed to clandestinely eliminate Mr. Olatunji, attributing his disappearance to unknown assailants. Fortunately, their scheme failed.”
However, he urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the matter and ensure justice prevails, stating that “the Nigerian media community will deliberate further in the coming days on the steps to be taken against the CDS, the CDI, and the military in relation to this incident.”
“We find the vindictive, uncivilized, illegal, and criminal actions of the DIA unacceptable. These actions contradict the democratic values of Nigeria. It is evident that some military officers are struggling to submit to civilian authority even 24 years after the country transitioned to representative governance.”
“We believe such behavior should not be tolerated by President Bola Tinubu, specifically, and Nigerians as a whole. If DIA officers could illegally access a journalist’s communications, mistreat his spouse, abduct him, detain him covertly for 12 days, and defy senior government officials, then our democratic system cannot be considered secure.”
“Despite our colleague’s release, we call upon President Tinubu to ensure these officers are held accountable for their misconduct. By all standards, the actions of the DIA, General Musa, and Major General Undiandeye contravene Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution and other international agreements to which Nigeria is a signatory, which prohibit detaining any citizen or resident beyond 48 hours without a valid court order.”
“Moreover, the DIA’s conduct directly assaults press freedom. One of the fundamental roles of a free press is to serve as a check on authority.”